Becoming an Auntie Again

For weeks I carried around an excited anxious feeling—as if I was a ten year old that knows Disneyland is just around the corner. But what I was waiting for is far better than a trip to any theme park. For me the happiest place on earth was in Room 244 at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital where I got to meet my niece for the first time.

First off, I have to say how proud I am of my sister. There is no way she could've anticipated what would happen that day. The day she had dreamed about for months. The day she planned out perfectly that would consist of hours of laboring at home, the calm but anxious trip to the hospital at the exact stage of 3-1-1 (contractions 3 minutes apart, 1 minute long, for 1 hour), the physical agony of transition, the burning ring of fire; followed by all the worst pain in the world being immediately swiped away with all the purest joy in the world of seeing her baby girl for the first time. I know Nikki spent countless hours daydreaming of the surreal moment her baby girl would be placed on her bare chest for intimate bonding between mother and baby. I know how much she wanted that plan. I wanted that for her badly as well. But God had something else in mind for my sister and her baby. A plan of which I think stretched Nikki emotionally beyond the limits of any natural child birth.

With Zylah's heartbeat dropping drastically low with every contraction, Zach and Nikki had merely seconds to choose between a.) sticking to the plan and possibly risking the life of their baby, or b.) throwing the plan out the window and sacrifice her dream birth for a healthy baby--her true heart's desire. I saw the fear in her eyes but she knew it was an easy decision. And at 7:19 p.m. on May 28th, Zylah Ann was delivered by emergency c-section.

C-section births happen all the time whether they are planned or not. But it was so scarey seeing the doctor's look of fear and calling b.s. on Kat's (our longtime friend & nurse) cheery disposition as if what was happening was no big deal. God bless her for her calming attitude though--it kept the tears from exploding out of me right in front of Nikki. (I waited until they all left the room.)
And after what felt like an eternity later, Kat came out with the glorious news that Zylah was here and mama and baby were doing great. Scarey enough, we learned that moment that the cord was wrapped around Zylah's neck which was why she wasn't getting oxygen during contractions--she was literally being strangled.  I thanked Kat repeatedly as I hugged her and cried. Being the true God-spinner that I am (spinning all situations for God's glory), I know it was no accident that Kat was working that Monday--God knew we needed our friend, not only by our sides, but by Nikki's side as well.

In retrospect, the dream birth plan doesn't matter. Zylah Ann (I like to repeatedly say her full name since her and I share a middle name:) is alive and actually a little healthier than most babies born naturally--not even a little jaundice.

She is our darling girl.

I'm overly thrilled and joyful about watching this little one grow up. I dream of the special relationship we can share--especially since the joys of being an Auntie come free of 3:00 a.m. feedings, spankings, and temper-tantrums.

And as Mitchell and I look forward to having more babies ourselves, I'm reminded that just because I had a textbook labor and delivery with Aedan it doesn't mean I'm guaranteed the same for the next one. Each pregnancy, birth and baby are different in all of their own. I know for one, God is ultimately in control and He works for the good of those who love Him. And two, I only hope that if my baby's life was in jeopardy and I had to choose a c-section, I would do it as beautifully and with as much strength as my sister did.